By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The ARC Park Phase 3 expansion in Hays' Seven Hills Optimist Park, 33rd and Hillcrest, was originally proposed as an accessible baseball field.
Instead, it is now planned to be a multi-recreation area with permanent cornhole lanes, another picnic shelter, open green space, and a Quantis play structure for older kids.
The pivotal change in design plans came after the addition of turf fields at the Bickle-Schmidt Sport Complex, and the cost of the special accessible ball field tripled to nearly a million dollars.
Local athletes with The Arc Central Plains had the opportunity to practice at Bickle-Schmidt last fall and it was a perfect fit.
"The Special Olympics size for a ball field is 120 feet and there are at least two fields out at Bickle-Schmidt that are at least 150 feet. So, in cooperation with the city of Hays and Hays Rec, we did a sort of a beta test in October for our baseball/softball season. It went great," said Sarah Meitner, Arc of the Central Plains advisory board member. "The athletes loved it."
"There are some minor adjustments that will be made to the bases. We'll need to have a fence. The Arc is willing to make that investment," Meitner told Hays city commissioners.
Community needs and plans for phase 3 were then reevaluated by the advisory board.
"It was our goal to stay true to the initial mission of an inclusive playground."
The new recreational space will also include more sensory play equipment including two pulse tennis stations and an interactive sensory mural.
Cornhole, a favorite sport of many people, is a new Special Olympics Kansas sport with regional and state play.
"It's a great sport because it's accessible for all ages," Meitner said. "Athletes that are not able to keep up on the basketball court can still participate in the social aspects and the athletic fun."
The cornhole lanes will have turf in between them with shaded dugouts.
Commissioners had the most questions about the Quantis, manufactured by Landscape Structures. It's compared to a 'ninja course' and it's expensive - $465,000. There are currently only eight in the United States and none in Kansas.
The look and feel of playground equipment is changing, and it's more expensive, "especially if you put the label accessible or inclusive on it," Meitner said.
"The Quantis would put us ahead of the curve by building things like this in our community.
"It would be driving older kids to come and play at this versus playing at the [ARC] playground," Meitner added.
There have been incidents and complaints of misuse of the specialized accessible equipment with too many kids on it or those who are too big.
More fundraising and donations allowed for lighting and security cameras to be installed.
"This would make the park more family-friendly because it gets the big kids off the playground, and they can roughhouse a little bit.
"It also just continues to spread out the users."
The high-end cost estimate for the project is $1.67 million, according to Meitner. "We think there is some cushion in there to bring this down."
Fundraising has been underway for a while for phase 3 and is currently at a little more than $400,000.
Grant applications are in the works along with more fundraisers, including another lemonade stand challenge at the end of June.
The commission voted to approve the request to proceed with phase 3 after Kathy McAdoo, Arc executive director told commissioner the Arc organization already has enough of its own funds to cover the remaining cost.
"We could fund it today, although it would empty our accounts," McAdoo said.
The ARC Park has been gifted to the city of Hays which maintains it. The Arc plans to create an endowed designated fund for maintenance and equipment replacement expenses.
Jeff Boyle, parks department director, says the ARC Park maintenance is "pretty much self-sufficient. We're looking at dumping trash cans, cleaning the shelter, routine things that we do at all our shelters."
Boyle estimated the park's maintenance cost is about $5,000 a year.
"We made a commitment to the community. Phase 3 was part of that commitment. We have fundraised with the ball field in mind so there is money to put toward this area.
"But we want a place that will still have wide community use," Meitner said.
"After the playground opened (in September 2021) we saw a need for giving our middle school and high school kids a place to play as well. They're asking for it. They've been utilizing it. This (the amended phase 3 and the Quantis) answers that. It still expands the park, and then I think we'll be done," she said with a big smile.
The playground equipment is expected to be ordered later this year with installation and construction in the northwest corner of the park in 2024.